Rusty White Memorial Fund CHARITYSMITH

RUSTY WHITE MEMORIAL FUND

rustyIn memory of Rusty White, the photographer, snowboarder, and friend to so many. A graduate of the University of Utah, Rusty's memorial fund will provide an annual award to an aspiring photographer enrolled at the University of Utah.

"Rusty was a very friendly outgoing person. It was very rare to see him without a smile on his face and happiness in his heart. Rusty has been on top of the world these past months. He just purchased his first home and many of his photos were being published. He opened the doors of his new home to us all here in SLC who were without family for the holidays and he also raised a few hundred dollars this Christmas for poor families here in SLC. I can not remember a time that I did not have fun with Rusty. He has been a dear friend to me and our crew and I can not stress enough the amount that he will be missed. It was been a wonderful experience to know a extraordinary person like Rusty. I love you man and hope you are enjoying eternal happiness." —Justin L'Heureu

Please check out some of his photos on his web site, www.rustywhitephoto.com

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About Rusty White

"Believe in yourself, trust your heart, and follow your dreams…” -Russell “Rusty” Cabot White

Russell Cabot White of Salt Lake City, Utah died in an automobile accident on January 16, 2007. He was on his way to a photo shoot in Wolf Creek, Colorado. Rusty’s excitement for life began at his birth when he could not wait to be born and arrived two months premature. He was born in Oklahoma City OK on May 1, 1975 to Edwin White of Alaska and Joan Cabot White of Rancho Santa Margarita, CA. As a child, the White family moved from Oklahoma to California, which Rusty would call home. Growing up Rusty already showed his remarkable ability to make friends as he was always surrounded by them; people were drawn to his sweet spirit and the happiness he emulated. If you were a stranger when you sat next to Rusty on a chairlift, you felt like you were best friends by the end of the ride. He always had something to be excited about, and could be excited about everything, even if it didn’t directly involve him. He was there at all times to cheer his friends and family on and talked about their achievements with pride.

Rusty had the opportunity to attend high school on the East coast at the Forman School in Litchfield CT. He enjoyed his summers of surfing and fun and talked about it often. He had always exhibited a considerable talent in the arts and for college attended the Pratt Institute in New York City where he had the chance to paint murals on the walls of one of Manhattan’s most popular clubs. He later received his B.A. degree in photography from the University of Utah in 2003. Rusty was always looking for excitement and lived in many places including California, New York, Maine, Oregon and Colorado before settling in Utah. It was in the mountainous areas where Rusty lived that he harboured his life’s passion of snowboard photography. He had just purchased his first home in Sandy, Utah in 2006 and he opened his door to all those without a place for the holidays. Rusty had a knack and desire to help others. He perpetuated the true spirit of giving always, but this year as a Christmas party, Rusty threw a Christmas Benefit and asked all of his friends to donate what they could, promising to match whatever was given to buy necessities for a homeless family at Salt Lake’s Road Home. He often talked about how blessed he was and was constantly looking for ways to give back. He was a fiercely loyal friend, willing to stand up to anyone threatening someone he loved. He was sincere and genuine in his relationships with his family and friends and would do anything for them.

His passions were his family, his friends, snowboarding, surfing, golf, and, of course, photography. Rusty would frequently encourage the people he loved to achieve what they wanted most dearly- “Believe in yourself, trust in your heart and follow your dreams.” Things did not always come easily to Rusty but he was always willing to put in the hard work and dedication it would take to achieve success. He never complained about this either, he always felt blessed for the opportunities he was being given and the support he received from his family and friends. He was living his dream of being a professional snowboard photographer and was becoming well known in his field. His photographs were featured in Transworld Snowboarding and many other magazines and publications. He had the opportunity to work with snowboarding’s biggest names over the years and he had “a blast”, shooting well over 30,000 photos for Park City as their snowboard team photographer. It was the most natural thing for Rusty to be snowboarding down the mountain with a camera in his hands, shooting all the way. He achieved his goal of becoming a professional photographer and this is just one of the ways he will leave an ever-lasting mark on the world. Rusty was a free spirit, a ball of energy, and everything about him was contagious; his smile, his huge heart, his sincerity, all out enthusiasm to live life and his passion to not just live life, but live it well. He looked for meaning and beauty in everything and often saw many things which would have gone unnoticed. Rusty loved the high country and snowmobiling to the singular sites for snowboarders. He spoke regularly about his snowboarding trips with his father and brother and best-friends and was looking forward to spending spring vacation in the Bahamas with his Mom, the Cabots, and his girlfriend Susan.

Two memorial services were held for him. The first was at the Saddleback Church in Orange County where his family and friends came to grieve and the second in Park City, Utah where friends and family celebrated his life. Each memorial featured Rusty’s photographs. He is survived by his parents, his brother, Kurt White of Aliso Viejo, CA, Kurt’s wife Kathy, and a very special niece, Skylar. He leaves behind not only his immediate family, but the love of his life, Susan Edwards of Salt Lake City and a very large circle of friends who were awed by his zest for life, his ever present smile and selfless generosity. Rusty’s friends and family will honour the generosity and love he displayed throughout his life and his success in following his dream as a photographer with the Rusty C. White Photography Scholarship Fund at the University of Utah. Donations can be made through a link on Rusty’s memorial website, www.riprusty.org. Rusty was truly on top of the world for the past few years. He had never been happier and we feel blessed for all of the life he packed into the 31 years we had him. Although we are all shocked and grief-stricken over losing Rusty, he lives on through his family and friends as we have him in our hearts and that is what is keeping us going – his ever lasting love and happiness.

 

 

Fund Administrators:

 

 

Donations:

All donations to the Rusty White Memorial Fund (a division of CHARITYSMITH) are tax deductible in accordance with federal tax laws. Donations can be made using one of the following secure methods:

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